PU system used to rebuild storm-damaged seawalls

ORLANDO, FLA. -- Bayer MaterialScience says its polyurethane system Baydur has been used to help rebuild sea walls in North America following the destruction by Superstorm Sandy in October.

The hurricane tore apart sea walls designed to protect the coast. Newly constructed or rebuilt seawalls will need to withstand harsh marine environments, storm surges and last longer than seawalls made from traditional materials, BMS said.

BMS said Gulf Synthetics' PURLoc, made using its Baydur PUL 2500 polyurethanes system, is a cost-effective solution for waterfront projects, and will help protect "thousands of miles" of bulkheads, canals and waterfront homes.

"With Bayer's polyurethane and our manufacturing technique, we're able to create a 100 percent pure polyurethane composite sheet pile section that is 30 percent stronger than any other composite sheet pile currently sold by others," claimed Mitch Wood, owner of Gulf Synthetics of Cumming, Ga., in a Jan. 30 news release.

PURLoc is manufactured by the pultrusion process and is first composite sheet pile to use a special urethane injection box, BMS said. This allows for the injection of resins through dense layers of roving and fabrics.

The PURLoc seawall is on display at Composites 2013, held Jan. 29-31 in Orlando.